


Christmas Counsel

by KatStrat17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27639280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatStrat17/pseuds/KatStrat17
Summary: Hermione is struggling with a proper gift for her and Ron's first Christmas together and enlists help. AU post-war Christmas fluff.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	Christmas Counsel

December 1998

Hermione was sulking slightly, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest on the floor of the Burrow’s living room, mere inches away from the side of one of the couches. Ginny was sprawled out next to her, laughing with Harry and George. It’s not that she didn’t like the Burrow, she thinks, as she glanced round to watch Fleur gently stroke Bill’s jaw on the couch next to her- she did. Sometimes, though, she was grateful to be living with Mum and Dad again.

On the opposite couch, Arthur and Percy were discussing something she assumed was Ministry related, and Charlie seemed to be listening rather half-heartedly. On the whole, Hermione felt rather awkward. She couldn’t seem to tear her thoughts away from the potentially disastrous Christmas present debacle she has found herself in. She had always tried to appear confident and thought that she has, for the most part, succeeded; but when it comes to presents, she had always been woefully anxious about the whole thing. She didn’t know quite what to get Ron. Hermione knew that he expected her to give him something useful, something to roll his eyes at, annoyingly. Adorably, she corrected herself internally, which made it about a million times more annoying. But this year, it was different. Ron wasn’t just her annoying friend, now he’s her- well, whatever he was. And if she got him something more meaningful than he did her, it would just be embarrassing for the both of them. She took a deep breath, resting her gaze on the door frame leading to the kitchen, where she could get the tiniest glimpse of Ron helping his mother with the food and shooting glances towards the living room, clearly annoyed at being the only one stuck mashing potatoes.

Hermione was startled from her reverie when the fire suddenly ignited in a whirl of green, and Remus Lupin came clambering out. A moment later his wife appeared, clutching Teddy to her side, and Lupin took her hand and gently helped her step from the fireplace. Tonks’ hair was her signature pale pink, and she smiled widely around at the room, dusting soot from her robes, and then from Lupin’s shoulders. 

“Wotcher all!” She said, and a chorus of greetings met her in response. 

Molly came bustling through from the kitchen and exclaimed in delight upon seeing the small child in Tonks’ arms. She embraced both of them tightly before taking Teddy from Tonks and cooing gently at him. Hermione watched them, warily, and wonders if she would ever be that excited to see a child, her own, or otherwise. Teddy was quite cute but frankly, the thought scared the living daylights out of her. Molly whisked the baby away to the kitchen with her, and Lupin and Tonks stood, amused, in the living room. 

Bill and Fleur moved to the end of their couch, Fleur curling even further around him, and Bill gestured for them to sit. Lupin does so, but Tonks seemed skeptical about such close quarters to Bill and Fleur’s…amorous displays, so she instead sat down on the floor quite close to Hermione and leaned back against her husband’s knees. 

“Hello, Hermione,” Tonks said, grinning. “How are you?” 

“Oh, I’m fine.” She responded, rather unconvincingly, looking around at the large tree in the corner and the various lumpy packages scattered around it. 

“Not feeling festive, then?” 

“No, er- no it’s not that, it’s just-” she stopped, searching for the right words. Beside her, Harry and Ginny have grown increasingly close, his hand around her shoulder, pulling her nearer, and Hermione gave them a rather more withering look than she intended, sighing. 

“Ah. Boy trouble?” Tonks asked, knowingly, a glimmer in her dark eyes. Hermione supposed she would indeed know more about it than anyone else in the room. She looked up at Lupin, who was politely listening to Bill explain the complicated nature of the charms he had used in the recent renovation of their small seaside cottage,.

“No! Well, not precisely,” Hermione said. She looked around to make sure Ron is still occupied in the kitchen, before continuing. “It’s just I’m not sure what to get Ron for Christmas. I know everyone expects me to get them something practical, like a book or something. But how do I know when it’s expected to get something a bit more personal, you know? Something, er-” she trailed off. 

“Romantic?” Tonks suggested. 

“Right.” Hermione thought a minute before soldiering on, Tonks was as good a person to ask as anyone, she supposed. “And it’s not just that. Because if I get him something romantic, and he gives me something…I don’t know…normal, then I’m just going to feel like a bit of an idiot.”

“Well, what’d he get you for your birthday?” Tonks asked, “it was in September, right?”

Hermione sighed again, looking slightly exasperated. “A book on ancient love magic. Bewitching Witches: A History of Soul Connections.” 

Tonks laughed, “well that’s kind of romantic, isn’t it?” Hermione just hummed in assent. Tonks then turned to her husband, jokingly telling him to go check on Teddy before Molly fed him the whole party’s worth of ham. Lupin quirked an eyebrow, clearly sensing an ulterior motive, but he obliged, squeezing her shoulder gently as he stood up. She turned back to Hermione. 

“I know what you mean,” she said, lowering her voice. “Remus- well he gets a bit fussy about me buying him things that he needs, and I understand that, but he also doesn’t want me to buy anything… y’know, unnecessary, because he feels like he can’t reciprocate.” Tonks looks towards the door her husband just exited. “It’s a bit of a fine line to walk if I’m honest.” 

Tonks had just broached the point that Hermione was too nervous to mention herself. She knew that Ron didn’t have very much to spend on her, either. It didn’t bother her, of course, just made everything that much more difficult. “So, what did you get him this year, then?” Hermione asked, looking up to meet Tonks's eye. 

“Tickets to the muggle theater. Twelfth Night. Remus loves Shakespeare.” Tonks said, sounding not altogether enthused. “Personally, I don’t really see the appeal,” she added as an aside. “See, it’s for him, but I’m going as well, which means he doesn’t have to feel guilty about enjoying himself. But I don’t reckon Ron much likes 16th-century literature.” 

“No, not that I’m aware of,” Hermione said, pursing her lips. 

“Hmm. Well something else, then. Something you buy for yourself, but he gets to enjoy.” Tonks looked thoughtful. “What about Quidditch tickets! He likes the Cannons, doesn’t he?” Hermione nodded. “Figures. Charlie always liked those tossers too.” 

“Oi!” Charlie said indignantly from the other couch, “mind your tongue. You wouldn’t know good quidditch if it hit you like a bludger to the face.” 

Tonks wrinkled her nose, “If I remember correctly, it was you that got hit in the face with the bludgers, mate.” Charlie shot her a rude hand gesture, mumbling something under his breath that sounded like stupid bloody Hufflepuff beaters, and Tonks grinned again, turning back to Hermione. 

“Sorry,” she said, “can never resist getting a rise from him.” 

Hermione laughed, in spite of herself. “I looked into it, but the seasons are all still suspended from the war. I would have to get him tickets for next fall. Seems a long way off for a Christmas present.” 

Tonks nodded. “Well,” she said slowly, “if all else fails, there’s always the old reliable.” Her eyes were sparkling again, and Hermione started to sense what she was getting at.

“Tonks!” Hermione cried, mortified.

“What?” Tonks grinned, her tongue peeking from between her teeth. “Sex sells.” 

“Oh Merlin,” Hermione said, eyes wide. “There’s no way I can do that! What am I supposed to do, dress up and put on a show for him?” Tonks laughed outright, and Hermione dropped her head into her hands. 

“S’not hard,” Tonks said, knocking a knee against Hermione’s and getting her to look up again. She shrugged. “They’re men. Prance around a little in something far more expensive than it should be for the material you’re working with and he’ll be foaming at the mouth.” Hermione could tell from Tonks’ tone that she was speaking from experience, and her cheeks tinged pink. 

“I… I wouldn’t even know where to buy things like that.” Hermione was clearly acutely embarrassed now.

Tonks leaned in close and whispered, “you could ask Fleur,” jerking her head towards the woman on the couch behind her. Hermione looked up at her, horrified. “Just kidding. Bet Ginny would take you, or me.” 

At hearing her name, Ginny swung around to face them. “What?” Tonks leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and Ginny roared with laughter. “God, ‘Mione, didn’t know you had it in you!” Hermione opened her mouth and let out a startled sort of noise, preparing to disagree, but Tonks and Ginny had begun making plans for the following Tuesday. Somehow, Hermione found herself agreeing. 

It was then that Lupin returned with Teddy, who was clad in a onesie that appeared to be decorated with small, colorful hippogriffs. As he took his previous spot on the couch, he looked between the three women. His mouth quirked up in a half-smile, “I hope I haven’t missed anything.” 

“Course not,” Tonks said, throwing a wink back to Ginny and Hermione before taking Teddy’s small hand with her thumb, scrunching up her face at him. Hermione was very, very glad to let the conversation die there. Lupin looked down at the pair of them fondly, propping Teddy up with a hand, and made some small comment to Tonks about Molly’s predisposition for their child, and she laughed. Hermione thought that she had never seen Lupin look so happy, far from the man she had encountered the previous year in the musty basement kitchen of Grimmauld Place. The way he looked at them now was almost cute; not in the sickly sweet way that Bill and Fleur demonstrated, more charming, more subtle. Like it was meant to be. The thought sparked a memory. 

“Bewitching Witches did mention Patronuses, actually,” Hermione said. Tonks looked round at her again, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh?” She was on the verge of laughter already, almost constantly, it seemed. Perhaps that was what Lupin liked so much about her. He was playing with Teddy, seemingly enthralled, but Hermione sensed that he was listening in.

“Yes. Apparently, complementary Patronus pairs are the only true visible distinguishing feature of soul mates. There are other forms of magic that bind two people together, protective charms, the like, and there are obviously lots of forms of love magic, but Patronuses are the only real marker of two souls that are connected. Eternal love. Erm, unending, y’know, unbreakable.” It had been rather interesting as Hermione was reading about it, but it came out sounding slightly sappy. She pressed on. “It’s fascinating, isn’t it? I mean, no one else we know has matching ones, except for you two.” 

“I suppose that means you’re the only pair here that’s written in the stars,” Ginny said, jauntily. She lowered her voice, “Fleur’ll be gutted.” 

Tonks threw her head back in laughter now, and Teddy gurgled in response. Even Lupin cracked a small smile. Hermione had always gotten a distinct impression that Fleur and Tonks did not like each other much. “Well that’s quite sweet,” Tonks said, and Lupin hmmd in agreement, resting one hand on Tonks’ back as she leaned across his leg to play with Teddy, tickling his delicate feet. Hermione noticed that he was far less awkward about touching her around other people than he used to be, and she smiled at the thought. He seemed to do well with a family. 

“Dinner’s ready!” Called Molly loudly from the kitchen. “Come eat, then we can do gifts.”

“Oh Ron,” Tonks said, grinning, “just wait till you see what I’m getting for you.” She winked at Hermione again, then disappeared through the kitchen door.

**Author's Note:**

> J.K. Rowling may have created a world that we love, but it does not give her the right to limit our freedom of expression or our identities. Trans rights are human rights.


End file.
